إِذا كُنتَ في نِعمَةٍ فَاِرعَها

إِذا كُنتَ في نِعمَةٍ فَاِرعَها

فَإِنَّ المَعاصي تُزيلُ النِعَم

فَإِنَّ المَعاصي تُزيلُ النِعَم

If you enjoy a blessing, then guard it.

If you are blessed, then preserve that blessing,

If you possess a blessing, then tend to it with care,

For sins make blessings vanish.

For sins will remove blessings for sure.

For acts of disobedience cause blessings to vanish.

وَحافِظ عَلَيها بِتَقوى الإِلَهِ

وَحافِظ عَلَيها بِتَقوى الإِلَهِ

فَإِنَّ الإِلَهَ سَريعُ النِّقَم

فَإِنَّ الإِلَهَ سَريعُ النِّقَم

And preserve it through reverence for God,

And keep it safeguarded through piety of God,

And preserve it through piety towards God,

For God is swift in retribution.

For God is swift in vengeance and punishment.

For God is swift in retribution.

فَإِن تَعطِ نَفسَكَ آمالَها

فَإِن تَعطِ نَفسَكَ آمالَها

فَعِندَ مُناها يَحِلُّ النَدَم

فَعِندَ مُناها يَحِلُّ النَدَم

For if you grant your soul its hopes,

If you give your soul all its hopes,

If you grant your soul its worldly hopes,

Then, when its wishes are attained, regret descends.

Then regret will come at their limit.

Then at the moment of fulfillment, regret settles in.

فَأَينَ القُرونَ وَمَن حَولَهُم

فَأَينَ القُرونَ وَمَن حَولَهُم

تَفانوا جَميعاً وَرَبّي الحَكَم

تَفانوا جَميعاً وَرَبّي الحَكَم

Where, then, are the generations and those around them?

Where are past generations and their people?

Where are the generations of the past and those around them?

They have all perished, and my Lord is the Judge.

They all perished while my Lord is eternal.

They have all perished, and my Lord is the Judge.

وَكُن مُوسِراً شِئتَ أُو مُعسِراً

وَكُن مُوسِراً شِئتَ أُو مُعسِراً

فَلا بُدَّ تَلقى بِدُنياكَ غَمّ

فَلا بُدَّ تَلقى بِدُنياكَ غَمّ

And be wealthy, if you wish, or poor—

Be wealthy or impoverished as you wish,

Be wealthy if you wish, or be impoverished,

You must encounter sorrow in your worldly life.

You will surely meet your worldly pains.

You must inevitably encounter grief in this world.

وَدُنياكَ بِالغَمِّ مَقرونَةٌ

وَدُنياكَ بِالغَمِّ مَقرونَةٌ

فَلا يُقطَع العُمرُ إِلّا بِهَمّ

فَلا يُقطَع العُمرُ إِلّا بِهَمّ

And your worldly life is bound to sorrow,

For your world is tied to worries,

For your world is yoked together with sorrow,

So life is spent only with worry.

A lifetime is not spent except with anxiety.

And a lifetime does not pass except through worry.

حَلاوَةُ دُنياكَ مَسمومَةٌ

حَلاوَةُ دُنياكَ مَسمومَةٌ

فَلا تَأَكُلِ الشَهدَ إِلّا بِسُمّ

فَلا تَأَكُلِ الشَهدَ إِلّا بِسُمّ

The sweetness of your worldly life is poisoned,

The sweetness of your world is poisoned,

The sweetness of your world is laced with poison;

So you eat no honey without poison.

So do not eat honey except with poison.

You do not eat the honeycomb without the venom.

مُحامِدُ دُنياكَ مَذمومَةٌ

مُحامِدُ دُنياكَ مَذمومَةٌ

فَلا تَكسَب الحَمدَ إِلّا بِذَم

فَلا تَكسَب الحَمدَ إِلّا بِذَم

Your world's merits are blameworthy,

The praises of your world are condemned,

The praiseworthy aspects of your world are blameworthy;

So you gain no praise without blame.

So do not earn praise except through blame.

You do not gain praise except through blame.

إِذا تَمَّ أَمرٌ بَدا نَقصُهُ

إِذا تَمَّ أَمرٌ بَدا نَقصُهُ

تَوَقَّ زَوالاً اِذا قيلَ تَمّ

تَوَقَّ زَوالاً اِذا قيلَ تَمّ

When a thing reaches completion, its decline appears.

When an order is finished, its flaws appear,

When a matter is complete, its deficiency appears;

Beware of its passing when it is said, 'It is complete.'

Its perfection is denied when it is said to be complete.

Expect decline the moment it is said: "It is done."

فَكَم آمِنٍ عاشَ في نِعمَةٍ

فَكَم آمِنٍ عاشَ في نِعمَةٍ

مِما حَسَّ بِالفَقرِ حَتّى هَجَم

مِما حَسَّ بِالفَقرِ حَتّى هَجَم

For how many a secure person lived in blessing,

How many who lived in blessing

How many a secure one lived in bliss,

[Wording unclear] From what he sensed of poverty, until it struck.

Did not feel poverty until it struck!

Sensing no poverty until it suddenly attacked?

وَكَم قَدَرٍ دَبَّ في غَفلَةٍ

وَكَم قَدَرٍ دَبَّ في غَفلَةٍ

فَلَم يَشعُرِ الناسَ حَتّى هَجَم

فَلَم يَشعُرِ الناسَ حَتّى هَجَم

And how many a fate crept in amid heedlessness,

How many destinies crept in negligence,

And how many a fate crept in during heedlessness,

So the people did not notice until it struck.

Until people were unaware until they were seized!

Unperceived by people until it struck home?